Happy Father’s Day

To all those great dads out there, like my AWESOME Dad and my Big Brother, I wish you a very happy Day Of Lauding You. And in honor of thrifty daddies spanning the globe, here are a few frugal things my Dad taught me:

1. Always bargain; never accept the seller’s ‘final’ price. Granted, we don’t do this with groceries or toilet paper, but my Dad did teach how to haggle for a new car.

2. Don’t be afraid to walk away from the object you wish to purchase. Dad says, you can’t want the item too much, or you’ll never get the best price for it. Whatever ‘it’ may be. Once again, we primarily use this technique when buying a new car. Or shoes.

3. Marshalls and T.J. Maxx are beautiful stores. My Dad was the first person to introduce me to these shrines of frugality.

4. Practice the ‘catch and release’ method of fishing. Okay, this one has nothing to do with being frugal, but I do have to give Dad a shout out for teaching me how to fish. To this day, it remains one of my most favorite pastimes.
Also? If you don’t blow your wad on expensive tackle, or flying into remote regions of Canada (i.e., two-thirds of the entire country), fishing is a fairly inexpensive thing to do with one’s day. Which leads me to number five…

5. Sometimes the cheapest activities are the most fun. Dad taught me how to bowl, to fish, and to enjoy sporting events on TV – not exactly the most highbrow pastimes, but very fun, and frugal if you do them right. Throw in a 6-pack of PBR in a can, and you’ve got yourself a Great Time.

So celebrate the man who scared off your potential boyfriends and freaked when you finally ‘became a woman.’ He deserves your praise, attention and love today. Or at least, a really long nap.

And if you live north of the TC, follow Marketing Mama’s suggestion and take him to the Crystal Airport Open House for a good, frugal time.

However, leave the PBR at home for this excursion. I’m just saying.